MAROKO133 Update startup: Living Lab Ventures doubles down on innovation 🇯🇵, Grab posts pr

📌 MAROKO133 Breaking startup: Living Lab Ventures doubles down on innovation 🇯🇵, G

Dear subscriber,

The past week have brought a wave of momentum across Indonesia’s innovation and digital economy. New cross-border partnerships and funding—from Living Lab Ventures’ Japan Thematic Fund to VENTENY’s social-impact investments—highlight how collaboration and purpose are shaping the next phase of growth. At the same time, companies like Grab, Blibli, and Telkomsel are proving that scale and technology remain central to market leadership, from profitability milestones to AI integration. The fintech, e-commerce, and digital infrastructure sectors continue to attract global attention, while online consumption shows no signs of slowing—BPS reported a 6.19% rise in e-commerce spending in Q3, with record-breaking campaigns already setting the tone for year-end optimism.

Best regards,
The DailySocial Team

What’s New

1. Living Lab Ventures launches Japan‐Thematic Fund

Living Lab Ventures, based in Indonesia, has launched a new “Japan Thematic Fund” in partnership with Japan’s Cool Japan Fund and other backers. The fund is designed to help startups from Japan and Southeast Asia access capital, cross-border business connections, and real-world trial opportunities. For the Indonesian market this means more chances for local ventures to link up with Japanese firms, transfer technology, and expand beyond domestic boundaries.

2. Grab Holdings posts strong Q3 2025 revenue growth
Grab recorded Q3 2025 revenue of US$873 million, a 22% increase from last year, marking another profitable quarter with US$17 million in net profit. Growth was fueled by strong demand across its ecosystem — on-demand services rose 24%, deliveries jumped 23% to US$465 million, and financial services surged 39%. The company also achieved US$136 million in adjusted EBITDA, up 51% year-on-year, supported by steady operational efficiency. With US$7.4 billion in cash reserves, Grab continues to strengthen its position as one of Southeast Asia’s leading digital platforms, reflecting the region’s growing reliance on ride-hailing, delivery, and payment services.

3. Grab–GoTo Merger Talks: State Palace Confirms Negotiations
Indonesia’s State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi confirmed that Grab and GoTo are in the process of negotiating a potential merger, which could lead to the creation of a single entity combining both platforms. The state-owned investment management agency Danantara is reportedly involved in the discussions to oversee the corporate asset arrangements. The merger plan is also being reviewed as part of a draft Presidential Regulation that will set clearer rules on the status, protection, and fare structure for online drivers and delivery partners.

4. VENTENY Secures Dual Funding to Advance Financial Inclusion and Women’s Empowerment

VENTENY Fortuna International (VTNY) has secured two new funding rounds to strengthen its mission of promoting financial inclusion and worker welfare in Indonesia. The company received US$5.5 million from the Women’s Livelihood Bond 7 (WLB7), managed by Impact Investment Exchange (IIX), to expand working-capital financing for women-led MSMEs in underserved regions. Around the same time, VENTENY also gained strategic investment from Japan’s Better Place Co. Ltd., aimed at enhancing its B2B financing services and employee well-being programs through the VENTENY Employee Super App. With this support, the company plans to scale up financing for MSMEs, improve employee wellness benefits, and build a more inclusive and sustainable business ecosystem.

5. Living Lab Ventures Invests in INCREASE to Strengthen Indonesia’s Clinical Research Ecosystem
Living Lab Ventures (LLV), the corporate venture arm of Sinar Mas Land, has made a strategic investment in INCREASE Laboratorium Indonesia, a clinical research and laboratory services company based in BSD City. The funding will help INCREASE expand operations, build global partnerships, and obtain international certifications such as CAP and ISO standards. INCREASE already works with partners in Singapore, Australia, China, and Japan, including Tsinghua University and Osaka University, to advance technology transfer and local talent development.

What’s Exciting

1. Telkom Indonesia earns from data-centre business with high utilisation
Telkom Indonesia’s subsidiary has reported strong demand in its data-centre business, with utilisation reaching 89 % in the third quarter. Although revenue was slightly down compared to the year before, the high utilisation suggests robust growth potential for Indonesia’s digital infrastructure sector. It offers local companies opportunities in services, infrastructure, partnerships and talent development.

2. YouTube Festival 2025 proclaims Indonesia as growth hub
YouTube’s Festival 2025 has declared Indonesia as its next growth centre, recognising the large audience, creator ecosystem and market potential. For Indonesia this is significant: it underlines that digital content creation, influencers, video marketing and creator economy are sectors to watch and invest in. It creates new opportunities for local talent, brands and platforms to tap into global attention from within Indonesia. The festival’s focus may also bring more…

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📌 MAROKO133 Breaking startup: Lincah acquires Orderfaz. 🤝 BPJS eyes global AI infr

Dear subscribers,

As we enter the final month of 2026, Indonesia’s startup and digital ecosystem continues to move at full speed. Strategic milestones — from IPOs and M&A activity to regional expansion — have shaped the headlines over the past week. To help kickstart your week, we’ve curated the key highlights for you in this issue.

We are also pleased to invite investors — including VC, PE, and angel investors — to Garuda Sparks’ Lunch and Launch, featuring pitching sessions from 10 selected high-potential startups. The event will take place on Thursday, December 4, 2025 at 10:00 AM at GSIH fX Sudirman, Jakarta.

More information and registration for investors: https://luma.com/gt784e9e

Stay ahead,
DailySocial Team

🚨 What’s New

Here are several key updates from Indonesia’s startup ecosystem over the past week:

• Lincah has acquired Orderfaz to strengthen its social commerce infrastructure across Southeast Asia, integrating Orderfaz’s technology and seller base to build a more unified regional ecosystem and accelerate growth for creators and social entrepreneurs. Lincah currently powers more than 23,000 sellers and 8.3 million buyers across major social platforms with over 500,000 monthly transactions, while Orderfaz is a platform providing tools for order management and social selling enablement for online merchants. The acquisition supports expansion from Indonesia toward Malaysia, supported by an experienced leadership team and long-term regional strategy. [Read more]

• Superbank — the digital bank formed through a collaboration between Grab and Emtek — has officially entered its IPO phase, targeting to raise over Rp3 trillion by offering up to 4.40 billion new shares priced between Rp525–695 during the 25 November–1 December 2025 book-building period. The funds will be used mainly to support lending expansion (70%) and operational investment (30%). Superbank is expanding digital financial products such as Saku, Celengan, and competitive deposit services, aiming to strengthen its position in Indonesia’s digital banking landscape through its upcoming BEI listing scheduled for 17 December 2025. [Read more]

• INDODAX, Indonesia’s largest crypto exchange, has announced a major strategic partnership with Hong Kong–licensed digital asset exchange HashKey to strengthen the national crypto ecosystem. The collaboration focuses on improving liquidity, upgrading trading infrastructure, and enabling technical integration, paving the way for innovations such as Real-World Assets (RWA). Both companies emphasized aligned commitments to regulation and user security, with HashKey viewing Indonesia as a key regional market due to its fast-growing crypto user base. The phased execution is expected to deliver faster, safer, and more reliable trading experiences while reinforcing Indonesia’s role in the Southeast Asian digital asset landscape. [Read more]

• TOCO, a community-based e-commerce platform founded in 2024 by Arnold Sebastian Egg (Founder Tokobagus, acquired by OLX), is rapidly attracting sellers by rejecting the subsidy-driven “burn money” model and eliminating admin fees for merchants. Instead of taking 8–38% platform cuts like major marketplaces, TOCO charges a flat Rp2,000 per transaction to buyers—referred to as a “parking fee”—covering logistics and payment processing. This pricing approach, combined with frustration over rising admin fees at platforms such as Shopee and Tokopedia, has triggered a wave of organic seller migration, helping TOCO reach over 1 million monthly active users and 3.4 million product listings without any marketing spend. [Read more]

• BPJS Ketenagakerjaan is exploring investment opportunities in global AI infrastructure companies, including those in the U.S., Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, as part of a strategy to diversify its portfolio and tap into the rapidly growing AI supply chain sector. Managing Rp879 trillion in assets, the institution has requested approval to invest up to 5% overseas, focusing on data centers, energy providers, and cable network companies rather than core chipmakers—though options like Nvidia remain under consideration. The initiative awaits government regulatory clarity and hinges on rupiah stability, while BPJS also targets doubling domestic equity allocation to 20% over the next three years. [Read more]

👏 What’s Exciting

Here are several noteworthy industry developments from the regional landscape:

• Malaysia is preparing to ban social media access …

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